Proconsulate Pro·con"su·late noun [ Latin
proconsulatus : confer French
proconsulat .]
The office jurisdiction of a proconsul, or the term of his office.
Proconsulship Pro·con"sul·ship noun Proconsulate.
Procrastinate Pro·cras"ti·nate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Procrastinated ;
present participle & verbal noun Procrastinating .] [ Latin
procrastinatus , past participle of
procrastinare to procrastinate;
pro forward +
crastinus of to-morrow, from
cras to-morrow.]
To put off till to-morrow, or from day to day; to defer; to postpone; to delay; as, to procrastinate repentance. Dr. H. More. Hopeless and helpless Ægeon wend,
But to procrastinate his lifeless end.
Shak. Syn. -- To postpone; adjourn; defer; delay; retard; protract; prolong.
Procrastinate Pro·cras"ti·nate intransitive verb To delay; to be dilatory. I procrastinate more than I did twenty years ago.
Swift.
Procrastination Pro·cras`ti·na"tion noun [ Latin
procrastinatio : confer French
procrastination .]
The act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off to a future time; delay; dilatoriness. Procrastination is the thief of time.
Young.
Procrastinator Pro·cras"ti·na`tor noun One who procrastinates, or defers the performance of anything.
Procrastinatory Pro·cras"ti·na·to·ry adjective Of or pertaining to procrastination; dilatory.
Procrastine Pro·cras"tine transitive verb To procrastinate. [ Obsolete]
Procreant Pro"cre·ant adjective [ Latin
procreans , present participle of
procreare . See
Procreate .]
Generating; producing; productive; fruitful; assisting in procreation. [ R.] "His pendent bed and
procreant cradle."
Shak.
Procreant Pro"cre·ant noun One who, or that which, procreates.
Procreate Pro"cre·ate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Procreated ;
present participle & verbal noun Procreating .] [ Latin
procreatus , past participle of
procreare ;
pro forward, forth +
create to create.]
To generate and produce; to beget; to engender.
Procreation Pro`cre·a"tion noun [ French
procréation , L,
procreatio .]
The act of begetting; generation and production of young. South.
Procreative Pro"cre·a`tive adjective Having the power to beget; generative. Sir M. Hale.
Procreativeness Pro"cre·a`tive·ness noun The power of generating.
Procreator Pro"cre·a`tor noun [ Latin ]
One who begets; a father or sire; a generator.
Procris Pro"cris noun [ Latin , the wife of Cephalus, Greek ....]
(Zoology) Any species of small moths of the genus Procris . The larvæ of some species injure the grapevine by feeding in groups upon the leaves.
Procrustean Pro·crus"te·an adjective Of or pertaining to Procrustes , or the mode of torture practiced by him; producing conformity by violent means; as, the Procrustean treatment; a Procrustean limit. See Procrustes .
Procrusteanize Pro·crus"te·an·ize transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Procrusteanized ;
present participle & verbal noun Procrusteanizing .]
To stretch or contract according to some rule or standard.
Procrustes Pro·crus"tes noun [ Latin , from Greek ..., from ... to beat out, to stretch; ... forward + ... to strike.]
(Gr. Antiq.) A celebrated legendary highwayman of Attica, who tied his victims upon an iron bed, and, as the case required, either stretched or cut of their legs to adapt them to its length; -- whence the metaphorical phrase, the bed of Procrustes .
Procrustesian Pro`crus·te"si·an adjective See Procrustean .
Proctitis Proc·ti"tis noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... anus +
-itis .]
(Medicine) Inflammation of the rectum.
Proctocele Proc"to·cele noun [ Greek ... anus + ... tumor.]
(Medicine) Inversion and prolapse of the mucous coat of the rectum, from relaxation of the sphincter, with more or less swelling; prolapsus ani. Dunglison.
Proctodæum Proc`to·dæ"um noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... the anus + ... to divide.]
(Anat.) See Mesenteron .
Proctor Proc"tor noun [ Middle English
proketour , contr. from
procurator . See
Procurator .]
One who is employed to manage to affairs of another. Specifically:
(a) A person appointed to collect alms for those who could not go out to beg for themselves, as lepers, the bedridden, etc.; hence a beggar. [ Obsolete]
Nares. (b) (Eng. Law) An officer employed in admiralty and ecclesiastical causes. He answers to an attorney at common law, or to a solicitor in equity. Wharton. (c) (Ch. of Eng.) A representative of the clergy in convocation. (d) An officer in a university or college whose duty it is to enforce obedience to the laws of the institution.
Proctor Proc"tor transitive verb To act as a proctor toward; to manage as an attorney or agent. Bp. Warburton.
Proctorage Proc"tor·age noun Management by a proctor, or as by a proctor; hence, control; superintendence; -- in contempt. "The fogging
proctorage of money."
Milton.
Proctorial Proc·to"ri·al adjective Of or pertaining to a proctor, esp. an academic proctor; magisterial.
Proctorical Proc·tor"ic·al adjective Proctorial. [ R.]
Proctorship Proc"tor·ship noun The office or dignity of a proctor; also, the term of his office. Clarendon.
Proctotomy Proc·tot"o·my noun [ Greek ... anus + ... to cut.]
(Surg.) An incision into the rectum, as for the division of a stricture.
Proctucha Proc"tu·cha noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... anus + ... to have.]
(Zoology) (a) A division of Turbellaria including those that have an intestine terminating posteriorly. (b) The Nemertina.
Procumbent Pro·cum"bent adjective [ Latin
procumbens ,
-entis , present participle of
procumbere to fall, bend, or lean forward;
pro forward +
cumbere (in comp.), akin to
cubare to lie down: confer French
procombant . Confer
Incumbent .]
1. Lying down, or on the face; prone. "
Procumbent each obeyed."
Cowper. 2. (Botany) Lying on the ground, but without putting forth roots; trailing; prostrate; as, a procumbent stem.
Procurable Pro·cur"a·ble adjective Capable of being procured; obtainable. Boyle.
Procuracy Proc"u·ra·cy noun ;
plural Procuracies . [ Late Latin
procuratia : confer French
procuratie . See
Procuration , and cf,.
Proxy .]
1. The office or act of a proctor or procurator; management for another. 2. Authority to act for another; a proxy. [ Obsolete]
Procuration Proc`u·ra"tion noun [ Latin
procuratio : confer French
procuration . See
Procure .]
1. The act of procuring; procurement. 2. The management of another's affairs. 3. The instrument by which a person is empowered to transact the affairs of another; a proxy. 4. (Ch. of Eng.) A sum of money paid formerly to the bishop or archdeacon, now to the ecclesiastical commissioners, by an incumbent, as a commutation for entertainment at the time of visitation; -- called also proxy . Procuration money (Law) ,
money paid for procuring a loan. Blackstone.
Procurator Proc"u·ra`tor noun [ Latin : confer French
procurateur . See
Procure , and confer
Proctor . ]
1. (Law) One who manages another's affairs, either generally or in a special matter; an agent; a proctor. Chaucer. Shak. 2. (Rom. Antiq.) A governor of a province under the emperors; also, one who had charge of the imperial revenues in a province; as, the procurator of Judea. Procurator fiscal (Scots Law) ,
public prosecutor, or district attorney.
Procuratorial Proc`u·ra·to"ri·al adjective Of or pertaining to a procurator, or proctor; made by a proctor. Ayliffe.
Procuratorship Proc"u·ra`tor·ship noun The office or term of a procurator. Bp. Pearson.
Procuratory Pro·cu"ra·to·ry adjective [ Latin
procuratorius .]
Tending to, or authorizing, procuration.
Procure Pro·cure" transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Procured ;
present participle & verbal noun Procuring .] [ French
procurer , Latin
procurare ,
procuratum , to take care of;
pro for +
curare to take care, from
cura care. See
Cure , and confer
Proctor ,
Proxy .]
1. To bring into possession; to cause to accrue to, or to come into possession of; to acquire or provide for one's self or for another; to gain; to get; to obtain by any means, as by purchase or loan. If we procure not to ourselves more woe.
Milton. 2. To contrive; to bring about; to effect; to cause. By all means possible they procure to have gold and silver among them in reproach.
Robynson (More's Utopia) . Proceed, Solinus, to procure my fall.
Shak. 3. To solicit; to entreat. [ Obsolete]
The famous Briton prince and faery knight, . . .
Of the fair Alma greatly were procured
To make there longer sojourn and abode.
Spenser. 4. To cause to come; to bring; to attract. [ Obsolete]
What unaccustomed cause procures her hither?
Shak. 5. To obtain for illicit intercourse or prostitution. Syn. -- See
Attain .
Procure Pro·cure" intransitive verb 1. To pimp. Shak. 2. To manage business for another in court. [ Scot.]
Procurement Pro·cure"ment noun 1. The act of procuring or obtaining; obtainment; attainment. 2. Efficient contrivance; management; agency. They think it done
By her procurement .
Dryden.
Procurer Pro·cur"er noun [ Confer French
procureur .]
1. One who procures, or obtains; one who, or that which, brings on, or causes to be done, esp. by corrupt means. 2. One who procures the gratification of lust for another; a pimp; a pander. South.
Procuress Pro·cur"ess noun A female procurer, or pander.
Procyon Pro"cy·on noun [ Latin , a constellation which rises before the Dog Star, Greek ...; ... before + ... a dog. ]
1. (Astron.) A star of the first magnitude in the constellation Canis Minor , or the Little Dog. 2. (Zoology) A genus of mammals including the raccoon.
Prod Prod noun [ Confer Gael. & Ir.
brod goad, prickle, sting, and English
brad , also W.
procio to poke, thrust.]
1. A pointed instrument for pricking or puncturing, as a goad, an awl, a skewer, etc. 2. A prick or stab which a pointed instrument. 3. A light kind of crossbow; -- in the sense, often spelled prodd . Fairholt.
Prod Prod transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Prodded ;
present participle & verbal noun Prodding .]
To thrust some pointed instrument into; to prick with something sharp; as, to prod a soldier with a bayonet; to prod oxen; hence, to goad, to incite, to worry; as, to prod a student. H. Taylor.
Prodd Prodd noun A crossbow. See Prod , 3.
Prodigal Prod"i·gal adjective [ Latin
prodigus , from
prodigere to drive forth, to squander away;
pro forward, forth +
agere to drive; confer French
prodigue . See
Agent . ]
Given to extravagant expenditure; expending money or other things without necessity; recklessly or viciously profuse; lavish; wasteful; not frugal or economical; as, a prodigal man; the prodigal son; prodigal giving; prodigal expenses. In fighting fields [ patriots] were prodigal of blood.
Dryden. Syn. -- Profuse; lavish; extravagant; squandering; wasteful. See
Profuse .
Prodigal Prod"i·gal noun One who expends money extravagantly, viciously, or without necessity; one that is profuse or lavish in any expenditure; a waster; a spendthrift. "Noble
prodigals of life."
Trench.
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